What we left Behind
by LisaDouglas
Summary: Ever wonder what the castaways left at home? Jeannie wants to find out!
1. Chapter 1

**What We Left Behind**

No one could believe that a year had passed. They sat around a cozy campfire together on the beach. At least they were well, had plentiful food and good company, but the castaways were particularly sad that night. Mary Ann sighed, she felt so alone, yet so comfortable in the Professor's arms. Ginger sat on her other side, her head on Mary Ann's shoulder. The Howells sat together, but everyone could discern that their body language toward one another was anything but loving that night. Mary Ann thought that the Howell's were particularly close for a couple of their status. She'd always heard society-type people married for money, not for love, but Mr. and Mrs. Thurston Howell III changed her mind about this. The Skipper and Gilligan looked out into the waves, believing that their rightful place was under the rocky surf. Hadn't they'd ruined these people's lives?

"Maybe it would help if we talked about it." The Professor asserted.

"I don't think that's such a bad idea." Ginger added.

"Neither do I." Mary Ann admitted tearfully, the Professor's grip on her shoulder tightened at her sudden cry.

Being a man of action, Thurston Howell III decided to try it, rather than comment on the idea.

"Lovey, please, tell me what's really wrong?" He whispered. "Remember, you

can tell me anything." Mr. Howell urged his wife to speak up.

She'd hadn't been herself for days now, and he knew it was about something more than just being shipwrecked. Mrs. Howell closed her eyes. It wasn't as though Thurston would have a reason to remember this. He seldom recalled his own birthday.

"Thurston, it's our daughter's birthday."

"Which daughter?" Mrs. Howell sighed she was exasperated. He never remembered anything about their third and youngest child with whom she was especially close.

"Natalie." She replied, tears in her eyes.

"She's alright Lovey."

"I don't know that, she's only five just today."

"We have an five year old?"

Mrs. Howell rolled her eyes and refused to say anything more on the matter. The rest of the castaways were shocked to have heard the news that the couple had such a young child, and even more surprised to hear that Mr. Howell didn't even seem to realize it.

Mary Ann felt like she shouldn't have overheard that. Her eyes searched Mrs. Howell, who looked like she was going to fall apart crying any moment. The Howell's had never mentioned that they had children, except for that time Mrs. Howell had told the Japanese sailor that there was a Thurston Howell IV, and at that time Mary Ann thought she was making it up just to irritate him.

But now, she supposed that she hadn't been kidding. At this point, that creative part of Mary Ann took over, the part that liked to try to fill in the blanks. She wondered who Natalie Howell was, what her life was like now. Then her mind switched to her own life. Where would _she_ be if she hadn't been shipwrecked?

Engaged to some simpleton high school classmate, who she didn't care for all that much. On that note, thank the Lord she'd been shipwrecked! She sighed, sinking deeper into the Professor's capable arms. He rested his head on top of hers. At her right, Mary Ann noticed Ginger snuggle up closer to her too. Things certainly had changed for the worse, for the better and for the weirder in the past year. She now had a crush on a professor and was best friends with a real life movie star. If she could write home right now, everyone would think she was faking!

The Skipper had found a little peace on the Island, but the guilt still weighed on his heart everyday. Gilligan missed civilization, especially his friend Skinny Muligan and like the Skipper, carried a heavy burden of guilt.

The Professor wanted to go home, but was secretly excited about his stranded state. The island was filled with so much promise for scientific research, innovation and dare he think…romance. There were two gorgeous women on the island who liked him…that would never happen back home.

And finally, there was Thurston Howell the III himself. He missed one thing: the smell of money! It wouldn't hurt to hear the hum of the Stock Exchange in the morning either. And as for his children? What did it matter. The older two, twins, a boy and a girl, were…well, however old they were, they were about to enter Harvard and that's all that mattered. And the younger one….she was five? Really? That came as a shock to him. He put his arm around Lovey's shoulder, she pulled away from him discretely.

On the other side of the beach, a beautiful blonde woman listened to the seven castaways. Without hearing many of their words, she could feel their pain. Despite it being her own anniversary, she was determined to be of a help.

"Jeannie, you've got to help those people." Her master, Tony urged. He was all about helping people in need. Usually he didn't like her to use her magic though.

"You read my mind Master Darling!" Jeannie squealed, crossed her arms and blinked.

"What did you do?" He asked, a little worried now. Jeannie's magic usually led to some kind of disaster.

"You shall see Master!" She smiled, "for now, lets go back to our picnic!" She urged, wanting to get back to the romantic dinner she'd blinked up. She, after all, was still excited that her Master had agreed to take her back to the island where he'd picked her up in her bottle, as an anniversary gift.

Further down the beach…just after Jeannie blinked…

"Where on earth are we?" The oldest of the three asked. Thurston Howell IV turned around looking everywhere for a clue of his whereabouts. How had he even gotten out of bed, and how were his sisters there? The calm pacific wind brushed his sun-kissed blonde hair softly as he looked up at the nights' sky. Wherever he was, it was sure pleasant. Thurston IV appreciated lifes' pleasantries. He was not his father.

He smiled, noticing that he was holding his young sister in his arms. "You can talk now Nat." He reminded gently placing the blonde headed girl her on her tiny feet.

He was amazed that his ever-quiet sister did not seem scared. In considering the last year he thought she was possibly just very quiet, inquisitive and very brave, not shy or anything.

In the past year, five-year-old Natalie and her sixteen-year-old twin siblings, Thurston and Madeline had been sent to live with their maternal grandmother. Mrs. Wentworth was a bitter old lady who hated their father, his memory, and his children. Madeline, who had the most contentious relationship with their grandmother, because she took after Thurston Howell the III in just about everyway possible, thought that she even hated Lovey, her own daughter. And above all, Grandmother Wentworth was not a Howell.

The past year had been difficult for the older Howell children who clung to the knowledge that they would soon have Harvard and their trust funds. But it been hell for the tiniest Howell who had been separated from her mother, whom she was very close to and then from her nanny, who her grandmother decided wasn't good enough and dismissed immediately.

In that time, tiny Natalie Howell, who'd just turned five, rarely spoke and only to her brother and sister. Madeline had promised herself that she wouldn't go to Harvard without taking Natalie with her. No matter what.

"I see smoke." Natalie blinked, tugging on her sister's skirt. And so the three kids, headed off in the direction of what they were sure was a campfire.


	2. Chip Off The Old Block

Chip Off the Old Block

"Lovey…if you're worried about the children, it's your fault!" Mr. Howell stood up and yelled at his wife.

"My fault!" She retorted.

The castaways looked on interested, watching a Howell argument was always just as entertaining as it was divisive for the other five. Gilligan just found it displeasing and got up and ran into the jungle, to retrieve the surprise he had for the others.

"Yes, we wouldn't have to worry; if you hadn't insisted we give them to your Mother in the advent of our, well…absence." Thurston continued. Lovey was offended by this, her mouth dropped open. "Your mother is a cantankerous, bitter, mean, old woman! Who hates me and everything that is Howell and that includes all three of my children."

"Thurston!"

"I never wanted them living with her! I may not remember their ages, or birthdays…but I do love them enough to want to keep them from her!"

Gilligan could still hear faint yelling as he wandered back into the foliage. Mary Ann looked back, wondering where he'd gone off to and what he would bring back. Gilligan always brought something interesting back to the rest of them. Meanwhile, the three Howell children were still further down the beach and began to hear yelling.

"That's Daddy yelling." Natalie smiled suddenly.

Madeline was surprised, that was more than she'd heard her sister say at one time in months. Too bad she had to be delusional now that she was finally really talking again.

"Nat you're just hearing things. That's not Dad." Thurston IV said. "I sure wish I knew where we were though."

"Yeah, where are we?"

"Ahh!" All three were startled to hear a strange voice. They turned to see a distraught looking young man, a jock type, several years the twins' senior.

"Who are you?"

"My name's Chip…where are we?" He seemed scared and out of breath.

"We don't know."

"Pull yourself together, it'll be alright." Thurston IV told him. He said this half for the benefit of his sisters, but was actually kind of worried himself.

The twins talked with the strange young man, but Natalie was still listening carefully to the voices in the distance.

"Yes it is!" Natalie suddenly decided. "That is that is my Daddy's yelling voice!" Natalie tugged at her sister's arm.

"Natalie no, no it's not honey." Madeline broke the news to her sister.

"Yes it is!" She ran off.

"Nat—" Thurston IV and Madeline sighed, making the decision to abandon their new bumbling friend and hurrying, after their sister. They weren't looking forward to dealing with the aftermath of Natalie realizing it really wasn't their Dad. They wanted it to be him too, after all.

"Natalie wait!" Madeline yelled as the girl ran far ahead.

She and Thurston IV couldn't run quite that fast. That was one of little Natalie's strong suits; she could run and climb very fast. Natalie was amazed at what she saw as she approached the campfire.

"Mommy!" Natalie squealed. She knew that was her father's arguing voice, she'd recognize it anywhere. When they caught up to her, her brother and sister looked up in disbelief to see their parents.

"Oh Natalie my little love, can it really be you?" Mrs. Howell asked, hugging the girl tightly without question. "My Natalie. How did you get here?" She whispered.

"Yes it is Mommy. I promise."

"Hello my Harvard man." Thurston turned to his son happily. "Where the devil did you come from?"

"I-I don't know." Thurston IV was a little shaken, but not well stirred. "Where are we?"

"We don't know!" Ginger replied. Thurston IV turned around to look at the beautiful redhead, suddenly feeling his father wrap his arm around him.

"Well my boy, it doesn't matter! Just as long as you're here! And Maddy! My Maddy!" He hugged his older daughter. If Thurston Howell had a soft spot for anyone in the entire world, it was reserved especially for his daughter Madeline.

"How did you get here, my beautiful children!" Mrs. Howell squealed, acknowledging the twins, but still hugging her littlest one. "Everyone, these are our children: Thurston Howell the Fourth, Madeline and Natalie."

"How on earth did you get here? Do you have a boat?" The Professor questioned.

"Like we said, we don't know."

"One minute we were in bed sleeping…"

"And the next, we just appeared here." Thurston IV replied, he didn't even know who he was replying to.

"Yeah, and wearing our clothes too." Natalie added.

"That's impossible!" The Professor retorted. The Skipper didn't think so, he believed in the supernatural. Maybe this was some kind of spell, or gift.

Natalie refused to let go of her Mom, and in turn, Mrs. Howell refused to let go of her, even as she took Madeline in her arms now also.

"Why didn't you wait for me?" Came an exhausted voice that all six, plus the Howell children turned to look at the source of.

"Chip!" Mary Ann cried in surprise and got up to greet him. She could barely believe her ex-fiancé and a high school boyfriend was standing there and wondered if they were all hallucinating or dreaming or something.

"Where am I, how did I get here?"

"Chip, it's alright." Mary Ann comforted, patting his back. "It's me, Mary Ann."

"Ahhh!" He screamed. "Was I in some kind of accident or something, is- heaven is beautifu—"

"You're still quite alive!" The Professor informed sharply.

"Yeah and breathing real good too." Gilligan noticed as he came back to the campfire, making light of the fact that Chip was hyperventilating. Mary Ann giggled at Gilligan's little joke. The Skipper hit him with his hat.

"I know some movie producers who breathe like that." Ginger commented.

"That's just because Natalie outran him." Thurston IV commented.

"Of course she did." Mr. Howell laughed, finally prying the little girl from Lovey's arms and taking her in his own. "She's a Howell!" He laughed proudly. "Are you really five?" He whispered to her, she nodded.

"Who are you?" Gilligan questioned.

"These are our beautiful children: Thurston Howell IV, Madeline and Natalie." Now it was the twins who Mrs. Howell refused to let go of. While Thurston IV had missed his mother, he hated having the beautiful redhead watch as his mother hugged him and repeatedly kissed his cheek.

"And this is…Chip. We went to high school together." Mary Ann introduced him carefully, not really wanting to admit that this was her ex-fiancé.

"Oh, hi!" Gilligan was always happy to meet new people and didn't need further explanation.

"Gilligan, what do you have there?" The Skipper questioned, reaching for the decorative bottle Gilligan held in his hand.

"Oh this! This is my surprise. I found it on the shore a few hours ago. It's a bottle and there's a genie inside, she can rescue us!"

The others sighed, dismayed.

"A genie in a bottle, of all the stupid…" The Skipper was frustrated, he believed in the supernatural, but a genie in a bottle seemed ridiculous to him.

"Gilligan let me see that." The Professor reached for the bottle and Gilligan gladly relinquished it to him.

"This appears to be an ancient Persian artifact…I wonder how it got here." The Professor said, preparing to open the bottle.

"Wait! Stop! Don't open that bottle!" An out of breath man, pulling a blonde headed woman ran toward the Professor, the man yanked the bottle from him.

"Hey that's mine." Gilligan said.

"I'm sorry, this is classified. I'm Major Anthony Nelson, U.S. Air force." Tony Nelson grabbed the bottle and held it closely to him.

"And I am Jeannie!" The woman smiled happily.

"But that's our bottle!"

"No, you can not open the bottle, because my evil sister is inside. But I am a

genie, I will grant you each three wishes."

The Professor rolled his eyes.

"Jeannie…can't you get these people off the island…"

"Oh I can not."

"You can't?"

"Why not?"

"Master I will lose my powers if I do. But I can give them each three wishes."

"You're no genie, there's no such thing as genies." The Professor challenged.

"I don't know Professor—she seems pretty convincing to me, show us something." The Skipper was skeptical but decided to give the young woman a chance.

"Very well, Master, may I?" She asked turning to Major Nelson.

"Sure…"

"Me first, me first!" Gilligan interrupted. "Can I have a pint of ice cream?"

"What flavor?" Jeannie asked, pausing, as she was about to fold her arms.

"Strawberry!" Gilligan exclaimed.

"Very well!" Jeannie crossed her arms and blinked. Suddenly there was a huge tub of ice cream in front of the Professor, he stood up and jumped back.

Jeannie giggled and clapped; she loved winning people over with her magic.

"You can't get us off the island?" Ginger asked, all skepticism fading away as she opened the tub of ice cream, strawberry was her favorite flavor.

"No, but can I get you three wishes!"

Thurston Howell III smiled at this. Three wishes apiece? This met he had fifteen wishes, and this gave him a grand idea!

Over the next few hours the castaways grew excited about the possibility of having three wishes apiece. Surely, while the genie could not get them off the island, they could wish for something that might help them get back to Hawaii.

Night had fallen after everyone had gone back to camp. The Howell twins had gone to the beach with Mary Ann, Ginger, Gilligan and Chip. The Skipper and Professor were questioning the genie and her Astronaut Master.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Howell had made room in the small closet that held their luggage for her children to sleep. She tucked Natalie into bed and kissed her small forehead, still barely believing she was there.

"Oh my baby darling, I can't believe you're here." Mrs. Howell rested her hand on her little girl's chest. Natalie sighed in her sleep and grabbed her mother's hand in her own and squeezed it. Lovey kissed the girl again and let her sleep.

"Thurston what are you doing?" she asked, coming back into the main room of the hut where her husband sat working with some figures on a piece of paper.

"I'm figuring out what to do with my wishes Lovey."

"How much can you do, you've only got three."

"No, not three, fifteen!"

"Shame on you! Don't you dare try to take the children's wishes!" She didn't mind so much for herself, but she thought it was awful for him to take their kids' wishes.

"Lovey, until they are grown and they have their trust funds to fend for them, everything that belongs to the three of them belongs to me. They are my wishes."

"Thurston that—"

"Mommy." Natalie came back in, rubbing her eyes.

"What is it my darling?"

"I'm scared."

"Here darling, how about you take Teddy and we'll go back to bed, would that make you feel better?" Natalie nodded.

"Lovey! Not Teddy!"

"Thurston, you're a grown man and she's just a little girl, and not just any little girl, your little girl, and she needs a teddy bear…"

"Fine then Lovey." He always gave in when Lovey baby-talked to him.

"Thank you darling!" She exclaimed, kissing his cheek and lifting Natalie into her arms. "Come on sweetheart, it's alright we've got Daddy's teddy bear and we're going to bed."

The Howell twins, who even at seventeen were best friends, thought that Gilligan was the world's most hilarious, haphazard man. The thing was, even Madeline, who didn't like anyone very much beyond their money, couldn't' help but like him. Gilligan sat telling Chip and the twins about the shipwreck and the last year they'd spent on the island.

Ginger sat, listening to Gilligan's story, but keeping her eyes on Thurston IV. She couldn't help but admit that he was cute. She'd always liked blondes…and money. She reminded him of his father, but younger, happier and most importantly, unmarried. She wondered what he'd be like to really talk to. Probably better than the man she was really interested in. Ginger sighed; the Professor barely knew she was there half the time. She'd tried to romance him to no avail.

Mary Ann's eyes drifted back and forth between Gilligan and Chip. Part of the reason she'd come to Hawaii the year before was to get away from Chip, who had wanted to marry her. Sure she'd gone to the movies with him a few times, sat with him in Geometry, all that stuff…but she didn't want to marry him like he wanted to marry her. She'd even left the ring at home when she went on vacation, shows you how much she cared.

Gilligan's somewhat farfetched tales recalling the first year on the island sparked Madeline Howell's interest. Her father had found a gold mine? The castaways had put on plays, evaded an old Japanese sailor and met the legendary Wrongway Feldman? Madeline was sure there had to be some perfect way to make money off this place and was determined, in her time there, to figure out just what that was. Finally the evening on the beach broke up when they all began to get tired. Madeline made her way back to camp, eager to discuss her investment plans with her Dad.

"Would you like to go on a walk Mary Ann?" Chip asked. Mary Ann hesitated, many evenings she just walked with Gilligan.

"Uh sure…come on Gilligan, would you walk with us?"

"Sure! Maybe we could look for sea shells!" He took her arm in his.

Mary Ann smiled glad to have Gilligan along. While Gilligan was childish, he was also sweet, innocent and fun loving, always happy and ready to try something new. Chip, on the other hand, was a jock. He was set in his ways, wanted things his way and had a very limited ability to converse beyond sports and dumb teen jokes. If Mary Ann could describe Gilligan, she'd call him a loving, haphazard, free spirit.

The three went off together, leaving Thurston Howell the Fourth and Ginger Grant all alone together on the beach. Ginger smiled.

"You look like your Dad." She observed.

"How do you figure that?" The junior tycoon laughed. No one had ever suggested that to him before. He always thought that he, like both of his sisters, took after his Mom, having inherited her blonde hair, and big blue eyes.

"Well you…" Ginger was about to explain, then stopped when she saw a light shine brightly in her face, it came from out in the dark, open waves.

"What the…"

"It's a ship! It's a ship!" Ginger squealed, calling everyone back her way. Mary Ann and Gilligan were the first to turn around and rush back. "Look everyone, it's a ship or a boat or…something….quick, help me light a fire!"


	3. Here Kitty, kitty, kit…achoo!, Part I

_**Here Kitty, kitty, kit…achoo!, Part I**_

The five worked quickly to build a fire. Gilligan and Chip were attempting to carry wood from the edge of the jungle, but kept haphazardly running into each other, or dropping the wood instead. Ginger and Mary Ann were busy trying to get the boat's attention. Finally Thurston IV took out his flask and emptied its contents onto the fire when no one was looking. While he hated to give up the alcohol he convinced himself it was for a good cause. The ensuing blaze swiftly did its work and beaconed the passing boat toward them.

"We millionaires really have to do _everything_, don't we?" He asked himself, his voice barely climbing above a whisper.

"Hey over here, over here!" Ginger and Mary Ann shouted, waving frantically at the light in the distance.

The light from the fire illuminated the outline of a tall lanky figure in the little rowboat, as it grew closer to the shore. Ginger and Mary Ann were immediately disappointed once they realized the boat contained a woman – in all likelihood a lady scientist from the looks of her. But there was something else in the boat too and it was caged…?

"Is that a Lion?" Ginger asked, dumbfounded.

"I-I think it is a Lion." Mary Ann was having a difficult time grasping this as well.

Gilligan sighed. He was not in the least bit surprised. He already knew that who ever they were going to meet, they were going to have a really odd reason for being there and being in possession of full-grown lion totally fit that. He couldn't believe Ginger and Mary Ann hadn't figured that out already.

"Achoo! Thurston IV sneezed. "It's a lion alright." Thurston had inherited his mother's cat allergy and even from this distance he could barely stand the proximity to the "cat." He thought of fleeing but he couldn't have Ginger think he was going to let a little sneezing get the better of him, right? "Achoo!"

"Hey, hello there! YEAH WE'RE OVER HERE!" Gilligan called as the boat slowly reached the edge of the beach. The five quickly grabbed the edge of the small boat and helped anchor it on the beach.

"A boat, oh we're saved!" Mary Ann squealed, forgetting herself and hugging Gilligan tightly.

Ginger giggled, exchanging glances with Thurston IV who'd already picked up on the chemistry between Mary Ann and Gilligan.

The five surveyed the young woman carefully. She was about Ginger's age, but nowhere near as…anything. She certainly looked and dressed like a lady scientist that was for sure (think Eva Grubb people).

"What's your name?" Gilligan asked.

"Nora." The woman replied, adjusting her thick black cat-eyeglasses. "Where am I, I was hoping to get to an island without people. I should be going…" She decided quickly.

"No!" Gilligan, Mary Ann and Ginger burst at once.

"This island doesn't have any people." Gilligan assured.

"Yeah, just seven of us…well eleven of us now." Ginger corrected.

"Well…I suppose that eleven people is enough for me to still do my experiments." She considered.

"Experiments, are you a scientist?" Mary Ann inquired.

"Yes as a matter of fact, I am." Nora smiled as Gilligan and Chip moved to help her out of her boat. With their guidance, she tripped and almost fell face down into the sand. Gilligan caught her haphazardly and broke her fall. Mary Ann sighed. She really thought he was so gallant!

"Anyway," Gilligan began, he was trying to change the subject, "We've got a Professor here on this island too. He's real smart. Maybe he can help you with your research."

"He? I might like that." She smiled. Ginger didn't realize a woman that homely could smile quite that flirtatiously. It just seemed wrong…something about it turned her stomach.

The five brought Nora, her lion and small boat back into the camp where the Skipper, Professor and the Howells were sitting around a fire. The Professor looked up, stunned when he saw them coming. The Skipper and Howells had their backs to the crowd of young people.

"Good heavens!"

"What is it Professor, you look like you've seen a ghost!" The Skipper asserted.

"Nora!" He rushed over to the lady scientist. Ginger looked on in jealous curiosity as the two embraced.

"Roy! Roy, is that really you?"

"It sure is, Nora, how did you ever find me?" she asked. Mrs. Howell watched their interaction through her opera glasses, giving their body language a scrutinizing eye.

"Quite by accident." She admitted. "You never finished our research, so I came out to sea so I could explore the islands and finish what you didn't!"

The Professor hadn't forgotten about the reason why he'd come on the three-hour tour in the first place and had done vast amounts of research since he'd been marooned.

"Come, I have so much to show you!"

"You know each other?" Ginger asked, clearing her throat quickly.  
>"Forgive me Ginger." The Professor felt bad for having been<p>

caught up in the haste of his sudden reunion. "Everyone, this is my friend, co-researcher, lab-partner and co-author Nora. Everyone, this is Nora."

Ginger looked down at Nora's sensible brown oxford shoes as the Professor made introductions. She was fuming. Mary Ann shot her a sympathetic look and Thurston IV gave her a small flirtatious smile, something, which, was unfortunately detected by his mother through her opera glasses. Now she too was fuming mad. She always knew that Ginger was a…a.. a cradle robber! Suddenly Lovey couldn't help but sneeze and neither could her son. In that instance, Chip appeared, pulling a crate with the lion in it behind him. He'd insisted on being the one to bring the lion into camp: he thought it might impress Mary Ann.

"I'm sorry Mom…Nora brought a cat." Thurston IV sneezed again.

"Oh dear." She remarked.

"What's the matter, its just Leonardo?" The Professor asked, happily acknowledging the Lion he knew from the lab at the school as though he too were a long lost colleague.

Leonardo roared loudly in acknowledgement, causing everyone but the Professor and Nora to jump, and inciting another sneeze from Mrs. Howell and her son.

"The children and I are..a.a.!" Lovey sniffled.

"What she means to say is that there's a Howell allergy to cats." Mr. Howell informed.

"Oh I see."

"Darling, it's really the Wentworth allergy." She corrected. Mr. Howell silently lamented that his children seemed, at times, 98% Wentworth and barely 2% Howell.

"It's alright Mrs. Howell, I'll take him out of the camp some place where he'll be safe." Gilligan offered happily.

Gilligan snuck off into the jungle as The Skipper and Mr. Howell began to question Nora about her boat. Ginger looked on as the Professor finally escorted Nora into his hut. Thurston IV couldn't help but notice that she seemed crushed, but his sympathy was curbed when his mother discreetly grabbed him by the ear and pulled him back toward the Howell hut. Finally, while no one else noticed, Mary Ann went off into the jungle, abandoning Chip who'd been trying to hold her hand, and hoping to catch up with Gilligan.


	4. You're not much of a morning person, are

You're not much of a morning person, are you?

The next morning everyone was at breakfast. Mary Ann would've found it surprisingly easy to feed seven extra mouths and a fully-grown lion….if it weren't for Chip who had not been willing to leave her alone. Gilligan, however, saved the day and was able to preoccupy the dumb jock with a morning bug catching trip through the jungle. Mary Ann found the way he put it especially funny:

"Hey, you wanna go hunt for bugs and frogs and other slimy things!"

This phraseology, on the other hand, made all three Howell children cringe, almost as if they could feel slimy things crawling all over them at their mere mention.

Everyone found the Howell children to be surprisingly agreeable, especially little Natalie, who was exceptionally cute, quiet and always had a smile to give. Mary Ann thought that the girl's strong upper crust accent was especially cute. She seemed too young for her voice, like she'd have to grow into it!

Around 9 o'clock everyone sat down to breakfast. The Skipper was deeply confused. What in the world could the Professor possibly see in this Nora woman? He delighted in her…and she was no beauty that was for sure. How could he not ever pay attention to a woman like Ginger and yet be mesmerized by Nora? Skipper sat on one side of the dining table, with Ginger next to him. The Professor and Nora sat directly across from them laughing and talking...from the Skipper's perspective, even Gilligan was a better catch than Nora in many respects….and that observation was certainly taking it a bit far.

Gilligan was annoyed by having spent the morning with Chip. Sure he was

childlike at heart, but Chip was just pain stupid. His time with Chip had reminded

him of that baby-sitting job he had one summer, baby sitting Skinny Mulligan's

youngest kid brother, you know, the one who wasn't quite all there in the

head…

Gilligan had saved Chip from walking over a cliff and tumbling into the sea,

something which Chip refused to acknowledge and he knew no one else would ever

believe…well, maybe Mary Ann. Gilligan was brought out of his thoughts very

suddenly by the Professor's jubilant laugh. He was talking to Nora like, well, like

you'd talk to a girl if you liked her…not that he'd know too much about that. Gilligan

scratched his head as he watched the couple talk and giggle and remembered when

Ginger had tried to come on to him…in that way Ginger talked to men.

He couldn't believe the Professor didn't realize that she treated him so much

different than that…in a way that was respectful and showed genuine affection, not

superficial lust. Gilligan tried, for just a second, to imagine what it would be like if

Ginger really like-liked him in the way she liked the Professor. How could such a

smart man be so blind? Moreover, Gilligan couldn't believe that he, a being such a

girl-shy type of guy, could see this and the smartest man he knew was just simply

couldn't.

Meanwhile, Ginger was about to be sick. She got up, careful to slam her glass

down as hard as she could before leaving the table. Mary Ann quickly followed her,

both to comfort her friend, and as an excuse to loose Chip for a while.

"Poor kid." The Skipper muttered of Ginger.

"Actresses are so temperamental." Nora scoffed.

"Wait, what happened, why's Ginger so upset?" The Professor inquired

concernedly and looked back toward the direction Ginger and Mary Ann had gone.

"Madeline Emilie Howell! You are NOT marrying that cad!" Thurston suddenly burst, giving the remaining members of the table a new drama to focus on.

Hearing this news made Mr. Howell go through the roof. No one, not even Lovey, had ever seen him this mad before and she'd known him since they were Natalie's age.

"It's not as if you can really do anything to stop me Daddy." Madeline became the second young woman that morning to get up from the table and storm off.

"Lovey! Our daughter is marrying a….a Yale man. Where did I go wrong?" He cried aloud.

Lovey raised an eyebrow. Where did _he_ go wrong? If he had very much to do with raising the twins, she'd missed it completely. On the other hand, if _she _had very much to do with raising the twins she'd missed that too.

"Daddy." Natalie grabbed her father's hand to try to get his attention. She wanted him to like her and she thought making him feel better might help her. "Daddy," she whispered, "I pwomise I won't marry a Yale man."

He couldn't help but smile even though his heart ached so. Maybe there was something to this kid. He realized she seemed to be working to hard to win his approval…she always had. He supposed if he had had to work that hard to get his father to like him…oh wait a minute, he had. Deciding to show some acceptance, he picked her up and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you Princess." He whispered.

"Mom, Dad…I was going to tell you even if she wasn't."

"Thurston." Mrs. Howell said to her son, "Do you know this boy?" She was not familiar with the name, and found that odd. She thought she knew everyone in the social register.

"Well…" He hesitated.

"Lovey, he doesn't need to know him. I know his father…and his grandfather for that matter." Thurston III stated sadly.

"Oh." She understood now. This met that Thurston really didn't approve and there was a real reason for it.

"Yes Lovey…Howell money can not be comingled with that—"

"You know Thurston, my father didn't approve of you because you were a Harvard man and not a Yale man."

"Lovey, I'd thought we'd agreed never to talk about—"

"But its true. I'm disappointed in Madeline but I can't blame her completely."

"But Lovey, they're threatening to elope!"

"Thurston, darling we eloped!

"Lovey, they're not even Republican!" He said with alarm, grabbing his wife's shoulders with both of his hands.

"Ha!" She gasped. "Madeline!" She called as she began to run after her daughter.

"That was a real interesting show! What do you thinks going to happen next Skipper?" Gilligan inquired.

Both Gilligan and the Skipper had been somewhat amused by the morning's breakfast's observations and outbursts. By now the entire table had dispersed due to anger, frustration, and concern for their fellow man. Only The Skipper, Gilligan and Chip remained. Chip was busy shoveling down his breakfast, somewhat like a Neanderthal, Gilligan seemed satisfied with being partially amused, and partially confused. And finally the Skipper was worried. With the island split in so many different directions, over personal issues, parent-child disputes, and love triangles, were they set on a course for mutiny?

"Gilligan just shut up and eat your breakfast." He said, hitting his little buddy, half jokingly with his captain's hat.

Gilligan recoiled and laughed slightly to himself.

"Come on Chip, let's go play with Leonardo, maybe he'll eat the rest of my breakfast…I'm not really hungry." Gilligan took his new "friend" and went into the jungle with the Lion. In truth, he was worried about everybody too.


	5. Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty…Achoo, Part II

Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty….Achoo, Part II

"Stand at attention, face west, and solute Fort Knox!" Thundered Thurston Howell the Third.

Thurston Howell IV rolled his eyes very carefully so his father wouldn't see. Saluting Fort Knox had always seemed just a bit extreme to him. And now, standing in a grass hut somewhere in the depths of the South Pacific, it seemed even more bizarre.

"It's on the loose it's on the loose it'sontheloooose!" Gilligan ranted loud enough for the natives on the neighboring island to hear, as he ran through the encampment. The entire Howell family, (minus Madeline who'd imposed on Ginger and Mary Ann by moving in with them so she wouldn't have to talk about her engagement) poked their heads outside the door to investigate.

"What's the matter little Buddy?" The Skipper asked urgently.

He already had a good idea of what had happened. After all Gilligan had been hanging out with the lion and all of a sudden he was running around panicking that it was 'ON THE LOOSE!'…It didn't take a professor or anything to figure out what was amiss.

"It's Leonardo…he…he got out of his cage?" Gilligan was out of breath.

"Oh goodness gracious!" Mrs. Howell gasped, fearfully grabbing both of her children.

"What happened to his cage door, he couldn't break it?" The Professor burst.

"What happened to Chip?" Mary Ann mumbled, hoping for the worst. She realized in the moment that such a thought was so horribly out of character for her and to a degree it bothered her…but she just couldn't stand that Chip! But on the inside, she was just bursting with excitement that Gilligan was in one piece!

"He ate it!" Gilligan frowned.

"He ate it!" Everyone cried in unison. No one believed him.

"The boy's obviously suffering from some kind of strain." Thurston remarked.

"Oh but Thurston what if?" Lovey asked, running her fingers through her smaller daughter's blonde hair protectively.

"Nonsense Lovey. A lion eat a Howell! How dare he…!" Thurston practically laughed at the thought.

"But Thurston…" Lovey complained as the family ventured back inside their quarters.

"See Gilligan! Now you have the Howells all upset!" The Skipper reminded.

"I'm sorry Skipper I just…"

"Gilligan, do you feel alright?" Nora asked.

"Well yeah I…"

"Have you eaten any strange fruits or berries or…"

"No, the Lion got out of his cage by eating it! I swear!" He said quickly.

"Gilligan you're probably just seeing things again." The Skipper was frustrated. "Why don't you just go back into the jungle and find your lion friend, he'll be there. We promise."

"But Skipper I…"

"We promise." The four said at once as they summoned poor Gilligan back into the jungle.

Gilligan sighed. Right as usual he was being made a mockery of. But this time, he'd show em! He'd capture that Lion, right in front of all of them! Yeah, that'd show em…and maybe he'd find Chip in the process. He'd disappeared off somewhere…

A little while later, Mr. Howell took Natalie golfing, at his wife's insistence that he spend some quality time with her and that he cool off from hearing Madeline's rather shocking news. He was still very angered by it.

What was he supposed to do with Natalie anyway? At first he tried having her play, but the clubs were far too big. So instead, he had her caddy. It was a much more efficient way of getting around. When he finally found a nice place to putt for a while, he put her on a near by rock and told her to just watch quietly. Natalie just stared at her father with big blue eyes as he talked.

He was going on and on and on about finance and the game of golf, and she didn't understand one bit. She'd never really spent time with him alone before and didn't know what to expect. She often wondered what he did when he was away from her, but she certainly didn't think he was hitting a ball across a patch of dirt. What was the point in that?

"Thurston! Don't make Natalie caddy!" Natalie turned when she heard her mother's angry but gentle call.

"Well you said to spend quality time with the girl…where's Gilligan, he's not around to caddy."

"That doesn't mean Natalie should do it!"

"Lovey she's too little to play, the clubs are her size after all, there isn't anything she can do but carry them."

"Well, then have the Professor make a little one so that she can play. Thurston, she's a little lady and a little girl. Ladies shouldn't caddy and the clubs are her size, they're too big for her to carry!" Lovey scolded.

"Look Lovey, it's Madeline and Ginger…perhaps you should join the conversation?" Thurston suggested.

"Oh yes, perhaps I should. Oh you're so full of good ideas darling!...Accept for a few!" Thurston was surprised at how quickly his wife could go from scolding him to praising him to scolding him once again. "Oh of all the ridiculous…having a little girl caddy, Thurston!" She then left in a hurry, following her older daughter and the voluptuous movie star on their walk through the jungle.

"Oh that woman! Worried about propriety and Lions…" he mumbled as he went back to working on his golf swing, "thank the good Lord she's not worried about the Detroit Lions….do I have shares in them? Oh thank God, no I don't!" He continued to laugh at the little joke he'd made…certainly Lovey would never understand that one.

Natalie shook her head and when he wasn't looking, snuck off in order to find something a little more adventurous to take part in that afternoon. Walking a few feet away she noted that she had three distinct choices: spending the afternoon with Dad…who didn't notice she was even there, spending it with her mother, sister and the movie star…and then there was the third choice: playing with the lion.

"That Gilligan is such…such a strange young man." Nora laughed as she and the Professor walked hand in hand through the jungle. They were on the way to check up on Leonardo, who they were sure was still caged.

"Oh he's harmless, and sometimes very helpful…he just gets a little overzealous about things sometimes." The Professor explained, pushing back a palm frond as they made their way into the small clearing where Leonardo was being kept.

"Ha Roy look!" Nora's eyes grew wide.

"Good heavens!" The Professor couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that the Lion had indeed bitten a large chunk out of his cage door.

"He's escaped!" They gasped.

"Ahhahahahhahahahhahhhhhh!" Mrs. Howell, Ginger and Madeline screamed as they ran back into the encampment.

Mr. Howell had arrived back, by himself, about an hour before and was lounging on his chaise listening to the radio. Everyone else who was present came out of their perspective huts when they heard the ladies' screams.

"Good gracious! What is it Lovey?" Thurston Howell asked worriedly.

"What's the matter, Mrs. Howell, Ginger?" The Skipper was alarmed also.

"I was worried about this." The Professor sighed calmly as he and Nora walked back into the encampment from the other direction.

"How can you be so calm?" Ginger asked him, looking critically at Nora again. Thurston IV stuck his head out of the supply hut's door when he heard Ginger's voice. He'd been helping Mary Ann look for something.

"Professor, we just heard Leo-Leo…achoo!" Mrs. Howell sneezed.

"We just heard Leonardo out there." Madeline finished her mother's sentence.

"Did you see him?" All three women shook their head no. "I guess Gilligan was right." The Professor admitted, almost begrudgingly but the young sailor was not there to hear it.

"You mean, he ate through the bars of his cage?" The Skipper almost didn't want to ask.

"In one clean chunk." Nora replied.

"Leonardo's recent…uh…snack, if you will…" The Professor thought this was the best way to phrase this. "Indicates a sharp change in his behavior…I'm afraid he might be dangerous."

"Chunk, do we have peanut butter?" Gilligan asked excitedly as he came back into the camp. He'd really been craving peanut butter lately.

Mrs. Howell looked around. Gilligan's reemergence reminded her that there was one very important person missing.

"Thurston…" She began calmly. "Where's Natalie?"

"Oh no." He recalled not having seen the girl since the middle of his golf game well over an hour before. Without another word, Lovey passed out.

"Where could she be?" Mrs. Howell lamented. She lye on her own chaise now as the other castaways tried consoling her.

"Mom, it's okay. I'm sure we'll find her." Madeline comforted as Gilligan fanned her.

"Yeah I'm sure she's ok, she's probably with Leonardo!" Gilligan burst, stopping very suddenly and realizing just what he'd said when Mrs. Howell burst out crying again.

"What'd you say that for you dunderhead you….uggghhh!" Mr. Howell yelled at Gilligan. In reality, he knew he was the one who would never live down the mistake of loosing his daughter and the guilt was consuming him.

"R-O-O-A-A-A-R!" They heard the animal thunder no one would question that he seemed to be coming their way.

The whole group tipped the two dining tables over and hid behind them, just as they had done the last time a Lion had washed ashore on the island. Almost everyone was nervous as the beast approached. Gilligan, was smug in the knowledge that he'd been right about the whole thing. He would've defended the Lion but he secretly thought he might've eaten Chip, who no one had seen all day. The Skipper was very trusting of the Lion's motives and was secretly armed with a steak knife.

The Howell twins felt guilty and nervous at the thought that the Lion might've eaten their baby sister. They both knew they could've treated her a bit better over the last five years she'd been alive. Mary Ann was nervous that the Lion would go after her next and was worried about Mrs. Howell's mental and emotional state. Lovey was still sobbing…and sneezing interchangeably, Thurston was trying to console her but she wouldn't let him touch her.

Ginger was pining over the Professor and secretly praying for his safety. He and Nora were planning on trying to capture the Lion as it walked through their camp.

"R-O-O-A-A-A-R-R-R!" The Lion's growl was louder this time and shook each one of them to their core. They knew he was near when Mrs. Howell and her children began to sneeze again.

"Oh Thurston I don't want to look!" Lovey whispered.

"Oh yes you do Lovey." He said. She looked up and saw the Lion emerge through the shrubs, Natalie riding on his back looking more like the ring leader of a circus than a poor child held captive by a wild animal.

"Natalie!" She wanted to shriek but held back. She needed to sneeze but was afraid to, the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. And if she'd been wearing her mink, she was sure it's hairs would be standing on end as well.

Mr. Howell reached over and pulled his daughter off the Lion's back as it walked by them, almost feeling free of guilt now.

"Oh there you are my little baby tax-deduction!" Mr. Howell laughed, pulling his daughter onto his lap.

"Thurston!" Lovey didn't like it when he called Natalie this.

"Lovey, what else am I supposed to call her?" He asked. He thought this was the perfect nickname. "She is my little tax-deduction."

"Thurston, that makes me think you wouldn't love her if you couldn't deduct her." She said, taking the girl in her arms and hugging her tightly.

"Well of course I would. She's the cutest little Howell after all!"

"Mom we all know that's just how Dad expresses love." Thurston IV reassured.

"Oh my baby you're alright! Why ever did you go off with a Lion?" Lovey inquired.

"Because it was like the circus and you said I couldn't go. And Mommy I really wanted to." Mrs. Howell was taken aback at her daughter's answer. She had told Natalie the circus wasn't for polite little boys and girls of society.

Natalie, the twins and Mrs. Howell all sneezed at once and the Lion growled angrily, frightening everyone even Natalie and Gilligan.

"Nora, now!" The Professor called as he and Nora prepared to charge the giant Cat with a net and a flare gun.

The Professor was not at all shocked when Leonardo turned his aggression toward him and he began to fight back.

"Professor no!" Ginger shrieked, jumping between him and the quarter ton Lion.

To be continued…


End file.
